This invention relates to a lifting device, and more particularly, to a sanitary lifting device which allows the seat and cover of a toilet to be raised and lowered without any direct hand contact.
Toilet seats are commonly raised and lowered by manually grasping the edge or underside of the seat, This practice can be undesirable and somewhat unsanitary, particularly in public washrooms where the toilet facilities are made available to a large number of people with unknown health and sanitary habits. Guests using a washroom at a private residence may also experience some level of discomfort when forced to grasp the lid or seat of a toilet with their hands.
As such, there is a need for a more sanitary method of raising and lowering the seat of a toilet. The devices illustrated in the prior art typically include a handle attachment for a toilet seat which can be either hand or foot operated. The means provided for attaching the handle to the seat range from an adhesive to various types of clamps operable with bolts or screws. While these methods are capable of achieving their purpose to some extent, they are not without disadvantages.
When an adhesive is employed as an attachment means it will often fail or break and require replacing. This is mainly a result of the stress and strain imposed from the repeated raising and lowering of the seat. Most lifting devices which utilize a clamping means for affixing the handle to a toilet seat are also disadvantageous in that they are generally composed of numerous parts. This requires more time and effort to assemble and disassemble for cleaning and adds cost. Furthermore, when bolts or screws are employed, the device is also likely to be more susceptible to rust. Therefore, although devices for lifting the seat and cover of a toilet are presently known in the prior art, there still remains a need for further improvement.
It is therefore a general objective of the present invention to provide a sanitary device that allows a user to raise and lower the seat and cover of a toilet without having to directly touch them. It is another objective of this invention to provide a handle attachment which is easily affixed to the seat and easily removed for cleaning. A further objective of this invention is to provide a handle attachment device strong enough to lift both the seat and the cover at the same time, without placing any undue stress or strain on the device or the toilet seat that may result in damage.
The first objective is achieved by providing a handle that can be affixed to the underside of a toilet seat and grasped by hand to assist in manually raising and lowering the seat and cover of a toilet.
The second objective of providing a lifting device which is easily assembled and disassembled for cleaning purposes is preferably achieved by providing a device in which all components are moulded as a single unit. This one piece moulding includes a handle, an attaching rod, a forward and rearward lever, and form-fitting flexible clips that clamp around the edges of a toilet seat to secure the device in place. When all components are moulded into one unit in this way, no assembly is necessary and the device can be easily removed and affixed to the toilet seat as needed. Furthermore, the use of flexible clips to affix the device eliminates the need for metal bolts or screws, which can put the device at risk of falling prey to rust.
The final objective of providing a stronger device that is capable of lifting both the seat and the cover at the same time, is achieved by the addition of the forward and rearward levers. Theses levers reduce the stress and strain placed on the handle attachment and act to prevent the clips from twisting free when the handle is in use.
According to the present invention then, there is provided a lifting aid for a pivotable, rimmed seat, comprising attachment means for releasably connecting said aid to laterally opposite edges of the said seat""s rim; a flange portion extending between said attachment means, said flange portion being disposed beneath a lower surface of said seat when said aid is attached thereto; and a handle disposed outwardly relative to said attachment means so that said handle is conveniently positioned for lifting and lowering said seat when said aid is connected thereto.